NFL National Anthem Policy

At least the NFL addressed the topic. What’s great about this country is that players can kneel during the National Anthem if they chose to, to raise social injustice to include police brutality and racial inequality or to make a statement about how they feel politically. They have the freedom to sit or to not place their hand over their hearts and remain silent during the playing of the United States’ National Anthem. Memorial Day is Monday and people like me who wear their military uniforms every day and gave their lives for your right to sit, stand, kneel or whatever you want to do during the Anthem. That’s what I think is great about our country.

However, the new NFL National Anthem Policy says, “the league will fine teams that have players who protest on the field during the anthem, each organization is responsible for developing its own workplace rules on how it handles players who violate the new policy.”

The new policy, however, allows teams to stay in the locker room during the playing of the National Anthem, and that could be the safest course of action to avoid any fines. According to Sports Illustrated’s Robert Klemko, some players are already considering alternate ways to protest “just to spite the NFL.”

The new policy certainly leaves room for ambiguity and room for the owners to handle its own workplace rules how they see fit. I foresee Jerry Jones taking a different approach than New York Jets’ chairman and CEO, Christopher Johnson. The Jets’ owner offering to pay any player on his team’s fines handed down by the NFL allowing players to kneel during the National Anthem.

On the other hand, I don’t think Jerry Jones will be paying any players fines. I think the players are grown adults and if they decide to do anything except stand during the anthem then they are grown up enough to pay the fines and shouldn’t have any hard feelings towards the NFL, its organization or the owners.

I’m sure this isn’t the last we heard about the NFL’s policy, so sit, stand or kneel if you want to, it’s a free country. I’ll be standing respectfully with my right hand over my heart, because I’m civilian now. Have a happy Memorial Day! And when your enjoying your day off, having a beer and BBQ, take a moment to think about the many people that gave their lives for all our freedoms.